Episode 144 Q&A: What Might Cause A Potty-Trained Child To Regress?

This weeks question, “My four-year-old consistently urinates on himself at night and even during the day while he's awake. His response is that he doesn't care about using the bathroom and doesn't want to stop his playtime in order to use it. I've tried everything from rationalizing with him, encouraging and congratulating him when he goes to the bathroom, and admittedly even putting him in timeout or taking away his toys when he urinates on himself. He has not experienced any recent trauma that I'm aware of. There haven't been any major changes in our family that could possibly be connected to this. Nothing seems to be helping, I would appreciate your insight.” In this episode, I will address a very common issue, potty training regression, especially when kids claim they just don’t care or don’t want to stop playing. I will give some background on what is appropriate for different developmental stages, discuss potential underlying issues, and provide strategies to get them to want to keep their pants (and bed) dry. You can submit a question by emailing us at [email protected] with the subject line "Podcast Question."